An 18-minute video circulating on social media has brought renewed attention to the deadly police operation in Sligoville, St Catherine, during which three men, two police officers and a 10-year-old girl died.
The footage, reportedly recorded during a WhatsApp video call with a family member inside the house, captures what appear to be repeated pleas from two men and the child to be allowed to leave the building as gunfire is heard in the background.
The exchanges raise questions about the events leading up to the deaths, including what happened as the occupants attempted to communicate with the security forces and how the child sustained the injuries that proved fatal.
Men and Child Plead to Leave the House
In the footage, two men can be heard telling the police and soldiers that they are not the ones firing shots and that they do not have guns. They repeatedly ask to be allowed to come outside, expressing fear that they will be killed if they attempt to leave.
One of the men identifies himself as 21 years old and says he has a newborn child. He pleads with the officers not to kill him, while the other man also insists that he is unarmed and wants to surrender.
The two men appear hesitant to leave the building, with gunshots audible at different points during the conversation. They question why shots are being fired while they are trying to communicate with the officers and explain that they are not shooting.
At one point, the men suggest that they should be allowed to leave so that the security forces can confront the armed individual they say is inside with them, rather than putting the other occupants at risk.
The third man, who appears to be holding a firearm resembling a handgun, remains largely silent throughout the recording. The weapon’s exact make and model cannot be established from the description of the footage alone.
Child Says She Has Been Shot
One of the most significant parts of the recording involves the 10-year-old girl, who can be heard crying and pleading with the officers to let her leave the house.
During the exchange, she says she has been shot and describes a burning sensation. She also asks the officers not to harm her brother as he prepares to come outside.
The child asks one of the officers whether he will take her to her mother. The officer responds that he will, according to the account of the footage.
The child’s cry that she “doesn’t want to die” has stained the minds of well thinking Jamaicans.
The girl later died after sustaining gunshot injuries during the incident.
Her pleas have added to questions about how the child became caught in the confrontation and what steps were taken to protect the civilians inside the building.
Family Member, Woman and Pastor on WhatsApp Call
The video was reportedly recorded during a WhatsApp video call initiated by one of the men inside the house as the confrontation unfolded.
A person on the receiving end of the call recorded the screen, capturing the conversation and sounds coming from the scene. A woman can be heard pleading for the occupants to be allowed to surrender, while a pastor also prays for those inside the building.
The call provides a record of the occupants’ words during part of the incident. However, it does not necessarily capture every event taking place inside or outside the house, and the full circumstances must be established through a wider investigation.
The recording ends with a series of gunshots. All three men inside the house were subsequently reported killed.
Footage Raises Questions About Police Account
The video has drawn attention to differences between the occupants’ pleas in the recording and the account provided publicly by the police following the operation.
Senior Superintendent Dennis Brooks, the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s senior communication strategist, said after the incident that the gunmen used a child as part of a false surrender attempt. He said officers approached the building after the occupants indicated they were willing to surrender, but came under fire.
The recording, as described, captures occupants repeatedly asking to come outside and denying that they are the ones firing. Those statements are relevant to understanding the encounter, but they do not independently establish who fired each shot or the circumstances surrounding the officers’ injuries.
Determining what happened requires examination of the complete footage alongside ballistic evidence, forensic findings, witness accounts and the accounts of the officers involved.
INDECOM Investigation Critical to Establishing Facts
The Independent Commission of Investigations (INDECOM) confirmed that it launched an investigation into the multiple-shooting incident.
The commission reported that three civilian men were fatally shot and that several civilians and members of the security forces sustained gunshot wounds. It also confirmed that investigators documented more than 70 service weapons belonging to the police and military, along with two recovered weapons, for further examination.
INDECOM said the actions of members of the security forces and other people present would be examined as necessary to establish the circumstances and facts.
The circulating video could be relevant to that process if investigators obtain and authenticate the original recording, establish its timeline and compare its contents with the other available evidence.
Ultimately, the central questions are how the exchange of gunfire unfolded, who fired the shots that struck the occupants, and whether the actions taken throughout the operation complied with the law and the security forces’ obligations to protect life.
Those questions remain matters for investigation. The deaths of the child, the three men and the two police officers make establishing an accurate account of the incident especially important for the families affected and the wider public.
